Question: What is the employment situation like where you are?

[Chukker Veteran]

I was reading an article by Paul Krugman this morning...he was addressing what he thought were unrealistic predictions of out of control inflation. One example he cited I was vaguely familiar with, lumber prices. They have spiked during the virus, but Krugman points out the supply is catching up and the price has dropped substantially since the peak. I would like to think we might be seeing a similar thing going on with food prices now, although I understand climate change also plays a big role in some rising costs.

Paul Krugman on Twitter: "So, while I was away the case for inflation panic died. Or actually the cases, plural. For these past few months there have been two inflation stories, both crucially requiring a key failure on the part of the Fed. Now we know both stories are wrong 1/" / Twitter

 

[Bodhisattva]

I know that you used the blue font, but a ton of businesses rely on retired workers to fill out their employee rosters. These are jobs with no expectation of benefits or career paths. The reduction of this pool of employees hurts those businesses a great deal.

Yep, I'm very familiar. Reading about how various markets work and associated business plans is something I started way back in my investment banking days and is still a source of nerd enjoyment.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Not sure you have the temperament to be a door greeter!

Ha! Well, I've worked a variety of jobs as needed back in the day - painter, chimney sweep, etc. - to do whatever was needed to pay the bills. I don't expect to have the financial or social need to don the blue apron going forward.

 

[92tide]

i wonder if joe kines ever got that job as a wal mart greeter

 

[seebell]

Aging Workforce Challenges: Trends, Statistics and Impact

We talk an awful lot about Millennials and Generation Z. How to attract them, hire them, etc. But what about the aging workforce and its challenges?

www.aihr.com

First off, a couple of aging workforce statistics to give you an idea about the extent of the problem. In the US alone, 10 000 baby boomers turn 65 every day. According to an article by Arlene S. Hirsch, M.A., LCPC, for SHRM, this is something that started in 2011 and will continue until 2030.

Since the average retirement age of a baby boomer lies somewhere between 61 and 65, it’s not hard to see that this so-called silver tsunami is going to create some serious challenges for HR; the main one being, how are they going to fill the talent gap that’s left between the number of baby boomers that retires and the number of younger workers with the right skills to replace them?

 

[seebell]

Ha! Well, I've worked a variety of jobs as needed back in the day - painter, chimney sweep, etc. - to do whatever was needed to pay the bills. I don't expect to have the financial or social need to don the blue apron going forward.

Bodhi as a young chimney sweep

 

[Toddrn]

Well Chick-Fil-A near me doesn't seem to have an issue. They also have a sign saying they are hiring for $14/hr.

Is the Chick-Fil-A dining room open? They have kept them closed in my area. Also, Zaxby's is offering 17 an hour and Dariy Queen 15 with paid vacation and a sign on bonus.

 

[NationalTitles18]

I’ll reiterate that it’s no surprise that when people are treated poorly and their very life is not valued that they would leave what they are doing and end up doing anything else or nothing at all if able.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I wouldn't pick a number because the cost of living is different everywhere, but if $20/hr is necessary in that area - absolutely. Why should some people be able to live their dream at the expense of others?

So not only does one (or a few) people not make any money but everyone associated with said business is drawing unemployment?

There has to be a middle ground. I don't know if you've ever owned a small business (I own several), but balancing the health of the business with what's best for the employees isn't always a black and white issue.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I think it means clearing enough from a 40 hour work week that you can pay all your bills and lead a decent style of life. Not a lavish lifestyle, just what most people take for granted. An occasional vacation, for instance.

The problem is not every job should provide this.

Like it or not it's never been this way. And it never will be.

 

[B1GTide]

balancing the health of the business with what's best for the employees isn't always a black and white issue.

We are not going to agree here, so let's just let it go.

 

[Toddrn]

I’ll reiterate that it’s no surprise that when people are treated poorly and their very life is not valued that they would leave what they are doing and end up doing anything else or nothing at all if able.

Absolutely correct.

 

[MobtownK]

Maybe I've been out of the workforce for too long, but the $20 mark for unskilled labor is wild to me. My last job I made 35k a year - 8 years ago. That was after a decade of experience, and many specialized training certifications. If you calculate 35k down to hourly - it's less than $20/hr. It was a step down from the job before that where I made 20/hr - but had no benefits and had very little work/life balance. When my son was born I was told I had to work from home within a few weeks or risk getting fired. It was worth the pay cut.

 

[uafanataum]

Maybe I've been out of the workforce for too long, but the $20 mark for unskilled labor is wild to me. My last job I made 35k a year - 8 years ago. That was after a decade of experience, and many specialized training certifications. If you calculate 35k down to hourly - it's less than $20/hr. It was a step down from the job before that where I made 20/hr - but had no benefits and had very little work/life balance. When my son was born I was told I had to work from home within a few weeks or risk getting fired. It was worth the pay cut.

With inflation out of control, 20 an hour will be like 10 an hour very soon.
ETA:
One thing I just thought about. If inflation gets too bad it could really start hurting peoples 401k. If you were told to save a million to maintain a certain quality of living in retirement but after you retire everything gets 50% more expensive in a matter of 2 years then you could run through your 401k way earlier than you thought would happen. With me being 30 if I need more money in my retirement I have plenty of time to do that. But for people that already retired this past year has to be scary.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Here's my situation:

19 full-time employees that cover 24/7 (plus several PRNs)
2 are out on LOA with surgeries (19 - 2 = 17)
1 is out who just had a baby and another is about to be out with one (17 - 2 = 15)
3 of our PRNs have no more than 8 hours scheduled across the month
1 is POC and not very good on the bench and is lazy to boot
1 is out with Covid (15 - 1 = 14)
Another 1 just quit (14 - 1 = 13)
1 more just turned in her notice (13 - 1 = 12)
1 more is me about to leave (11 - 1 = 10)

That's ten people we're about to have covering the work that takes twice that many people - and bear in mind, I didn't include the fact we're low on phlebotomists, so on top of all of the additional work, we have to process a large number of the specimens, too (the Phleb supervisor has been out since June with cancer). And the remaining ones have either been running non-stop for 18 months or are in their first lab job, one or the other.

This isn't the only lab with similar issues.

And btw, we're not a mandated vaccine, but we haven't had anyone suggest they'll quit over it. Lab folks aren't nurses - which at the risk of sounding condescending, we tend to know a whole lot more about immunology and the infectious process than they do (they know more about how to treat it firsthand than we do). I'm not meaning to pick on nurses because I do know plenty of smart ones who wouldn't fit the category above; but most don't know as much as they think they do about immunology or they wouldn't be hiding behind their "choice."

Not. Good.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

We just got 2 new hotel projects. We don't have enough people to actually do the work. Crazy busy right now.

 

[92tide]

quelle suprise

How Georgia jobs growth compares with other states since it ended federal unemployment payments early.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp halted federal unemployment disbursements early, arguing the move would boost hiring. But Georgia didn't perform better after the move than states that continued the payments, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of jobs data.

www.ajc.com

 

[Jon]

A worker in Florida applied to 60 entry-level jobs in September and got one interview

Joey Holz, whose experiment went viral, told Insider he specifically applied to businesses that were publicly complaining of a worker shortage.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[92tide]

A worker in Florida applied to 60 entry-level jobs in September and got one interview

Joey Holz, whose experiment went viral, told Insider he specifically applied to businesses that were publicly complaining of a worker shortage.

www.businessinsider.com

it's almost like these folks who constantly get paraded out to air their grievances shouldn't be taken in good faith

 

[uafanataum]

A worker in Florida applied to 60 entry-level jobs in September and got one interview

Joey Holz, whose experiment went viral, told Insider he specifically applied to businesses that were publicly complaining of a worker shortage.

www.businessinsider.com

The wages they are talking about in that article are atrocious. $8.65 an hour. I have not worked for that little in 11 years! They must not really be too desperate for employees if they will not pay them more than that.